What Is Cannabis Microdosing & Does It Work?

When it comes to cannabis, a little can go a long way. Cannabis microdosing is more than just a trend. As it turns out, there are some real benefits to keeping doses low. Curious? Here’s the scoop on cannabis microdosing and how it works.

What is cannabis microdosing?

Whether it’s soft psychedelics, cannabis, or vitamins, the concept of “microdosing” has really taken off in the health and supplement world.

Microdosing is just what it sounds like, taking very small doses of just about any given substance.

With cannabis, a microdose is so small that it will not cause a psychotropic “high” or cause cognitive impairment.

Generally speaking, a microdose consists of a mere 1 to 2.5 milligrams of THC. If you’re smoking or vaporizing, the closest equivalent would be taking just a short puff or two of inhaled cannabis. However, it is much more difficult to be precise with inhaled microdosing.

Why microdose cannabis?

You may find yourself wondering, if there’s no high, then why microdose cannabis? As it turns out, there may be some very real benefits to keeping your cannabis doses low.

Microdosing may help you ease into THC while avoiding some of the negative side effects associated with higher doses.

Research suggests that cannabis can have biphasic health effects. This simply means that the positive benefits of cannabis increase to a point, and then begin to fall away. While low to moderate doses of the herb may have beneficial effects, higher doses can have the opposite.

A recent study on cannabis and stress offers an excellent example. Researchers tested the effects of varying doses of THC on stress inspired by a mock job interview. THC, short for tetrahydrocannabinol, is the primary psychoactive in the plant.

The study found that with higher doses of THC (12.5 milligrams), participants were more likely to report feeling nervous or agitated before and during the interview.

With a lower dose (7.5 milligrams), participants were more likely to report feelings of ease and less stress than those with the higher dose.

Unfortunately, the optimal cannabis dose is going to be a little different for everyone. Microdosing is an excellent way to both ease into cannabis and reap the potential benefits of THC slowly over time.

Does microdosing cannabis work?

Sticking to low doses of THC may help you avoid unwanted side effects, but does microdosing cannabis actually work? Are there any real benefits to microdosing?

While human studies on cannabis microdosing are lacking, there is a promising theoretical explanation as to why microdosing cannabis works.

Inhaling a high dose of THC or non-psychotropic CBD can help you feel powerful health effects for a short period of time. With microdosing, it’s unlikely that you’ll feel anything significant right away.

Instead, you can think of microdosing as something more akin to supplementing. THC and other unused cannabis compounds are stored in fat. This means that with consistent supplementation over time, these molecules can build to higher concentrations in fat cells.

Evidence suggests that over time and with exercise, THC can be re-released into the bloodstream as fat burns.

The re-release of THC won’t likely cause a psychoactive experience. However, microdosing works by helping you feel good and cope with stress one small dose at a time. At least in theory, that is.